New story, so new disclaimer. Dear SciFi, can I have Tin Man? No? Oh, alright.
Please enjoy.
"Now that's the O.Z. I remember," DG said as she stood with her family looking out the tower balcony. The witch was gone; Az was back. It was over.
An explosion sounded from below. "Jeb!" Cain shouted from behind her. She twisted around in time to see him bolt out of the room. Glitch glanced at Raw before they took off after him.
DG's feet were already moving when Ahamo's hand caught her arm. "DG, no!" he said pulling her back as she struggled to follow her friends.
"Let me go!" she demanded scrabbling on the tile. How strong was he? "I have to help my friends," she said looking back at him while still trying to free herself.
"We just found out you were alive," Ahamo answered forcefully, "I'm not going to lose you again." He placed his other hand on her arm.
"You won't," she promised and stopped struggling. "Please, you have to let me go," she pleaded. Though his expression softened, his grip didn't.
Az stepped forward, "She's right, Daddy. We have to help."
Her mother placed a hand on Az's shoulder, "No, Azkadellia. One of the resistance fighters might recognize you and attack you believing you to be the witch." This made her sister hesitate. Another explosion went off. DG gritted her teeth. This wasn't the time for a family discussion. What was really important . . . was protecting her friends.
"I'm sorry," she said and slammed her heel into Ahamo's shin. He released her instantly. She twisted as she fell backwards, so by the time her foot hit the floor she was sprinting out of the room.
"DG!" she heard her parents shout behind her, and it sounded like her father was already following. She put on more speed. By the time she got to the end of the hall, Ahamo was only twenty feet away, and a group of alchemists were rounding the corner.
She broke through their surprised ranks and left them for her father to deal with. One flight of stairs down, another hallway, two flights of stairs. A series of shots rang out as she slid to a halt. She was just entering the prison level where Toto had freed her. Peering around the corner, she saw a group of resistance fighters had been halted in their attempt to free prisoners by a squadron of longcoats. The two sides were shooting at each other. She was behind the longcoats and could see resistance fighters dart from behind walls every few moments to fire off shots. A resistance fighter went down clutching his side. A blond man reached out and pulled him to safety as a bullet hit the wall near his head. Jeb!
DG looked around. There was nothing to throw, and she'd be shot down as soon as they knew she was there. She glanced around the corner again. Beside the longcoats was a series of pipes. She closed her eyes, focused her magic, and twirled her finger. One by one the washers and bolts sealing the pipes twisted off. Steam sprayed the longcoats, and several of them screamed. Underneath the pained yells, she heard flesh sizzling. Don't think about it. Some of the longcoats were getting back up. She used her magic to unscrew the bolts on the cell doors. "Jeb," she called out from her hiding spot, "keep your fighters back!"
The cell doors hovered for a moment then slammed the remaining longcoats against the wall. When she looked around the corner, most of them were lying unnaturally still. Her body went stiff. Oh God. Her stomach didn't feel right.
"DG," Jeb called out making his way to her. He stepped carefully around the cell doors and the men they covered. A few groans followed him. Peeking cautiously from behind their hiding spots, the resistance fighters eyed her and Jeb. "Did you do that?" he asked carefully as he nodded his head toward the longcoats.
"Yeah," she answered. She could taste bile in her throat.
He stared at her face silently for a moment, "What happened to the witch?"
"She melted," she murmured, and because resistance fighters were beginning to cluster around the two of them, she explained, "I pulled my sister free of the witch, and we trapped her in the beam locking the eclipse in place. When it got cut, she melted."
"She's dead then?" a fighter asked incredulously. DG nodded. The group sagged in relief.
"And the emerald?" another fighter asked. DG's hands fisted. Az had thrown the emerald off as soon as the witch had dissolved completely. She'd stared at it in horror and shame, so DG had picked it up, knocked it out of its holder, and slipped it into her pocket. Their parents hadn't even noticed that neither one of them were wearing it when they entered the room. Reluctantly, she pulled out the emerald now and held it on her palm for the fighters to see. There were several gasps. They all stared in wonder at it.
Jeb lifted his eyes from it to look at her. His expression was making her nervous. "DG, I need you to put on a show."
As she was hustled down through and out the tower, DG tried not to panic. It wasn't that she didn't trust Jeb. She'd known him for fifteen minutes, and most of that time had been Cain introducing her and planning battle maneuvers. She hadn't known him long enough to form an opinion of him beyond him being Cain's son. However, his father seemed to already have explained who she was and what she was doing, and Jeb hadn't questioned him. He seemed trustworthy, and he was Cain's son. She didn't like his plan though.
She was supposed to make a brilliant display of possessing the emerald while declaring that the witch was dead. In order to do this, she would have to stand in front of the tower where everyone could see her. And where all the longcoats could shoot at her. Jeb had assured her they'd provide cover fire for her, and one of his men had added that as soon as the resistance fighters saw Jeb with her, they wouldn't shoot. This made her feel minutely better; unfortunately, minutely better wasn't helping much.
She still couldn't erase the memory of the dead longcoats, and they'd passed several more bodies and had added some to the count as they encountered groups of the witch's supporters.
The man to her left collapsed the moment they got outside. Something warm and sticky sprayed her cheek. Jeb pulled her to the ground as his fighters began shooting. A rumble passed under her feet after another explosion sounded. Jeb was staring in that direction. She followed his gaze to a group of fighters running away from the tower. Several of them fell. They were being chased by a swarm of armed longcoats. She swallowed, forced her light to focus, and waved her hand. A nearby turbine ripped itself off the ground and soared after the longcoats. Those in back turned and screamed. It hit them with a thud. As in the tower, most of those who'd been hit didn't move once they'd fallen. Jeb was staring at her now, a strange intensity in his eyes. He grabbed her hand and stood up. Her legs wouldn't move. Those men were dead. "DG," he hissed pulling on their joined hands, "we have to stop this."
She nodded dumbly and used her free hand to push herself up. Jeb dragged her down to field. She had to concentrate. They needed a display. Something that said she was in charge and powerful. Those men weren't moving! No. Focus on the display.
"DG, Jeb, get down!" Someone yelled. That voice was familiar. Jeb was already yanking her to the ground as three shots rang out from behind them. She saw a longcoat that had been aiming at her crumple to the ground then a pair of boots and a duster came into view. Cain squatted next to them. "Get behind that generator," he bit out.
Jeb towed her behind it. Cain walked backwards after them with gun raised. He fired two more shots. Another longcoat fell. He ducked in with them. "What are you doing out here DG?" he growled at her. She shrank back against Jeb. The tin man had never yelled at her before.
"Dad, she needs to – " Jeb began.
Cain cut him off, "Not now, son!" His eyes whipped back to DG, "I told you to take care of yourself." She opened her mouth to answer. Thuds sounded in front of the generator. Cain aimed his gun; Jeb pulled out his sword. Glitch and Raw appeared.
"DG," Glitch beamed, "I thought you were with your family." Another explosion rumbled.
She glanced around at the men surrounding her. More of them should be standing. What was really important was saving the people you love. She'd resurrected Finaqua, escaped from a coffin, and faced down a five hundred year old witch. The emerald pulsed in her pocket. She fisted a hand around it, and before anyone could stop her, she walked out in front of the generator and blazed white.
"Stop," she commanded. She'd only spoken it, but it echoed across the battlefield. Despite the glow surrounding her body, she could see clearly, and all across her vision men and women had stopped moving, resistance fighters and longcoats alike. They were all staring at her. "The sorceress is dead, and her plan to bring eternal darkness to the O.Z. has failed. If you doubt me, look up." She pointed towards the suns moving away from the moon; hundreds of eyes turned skyward. "Zero has been captured; the tower has been liberated. The sorceress' reign is over. All of her supporters are to surrender," she paused only a moment and then added in a deadly calm voice, "now."
Longcoats started dropping their weapons as resistance fighters surrounded them. DG let the light die down. The backs of her thighs were screaming where they'd slammed into the tower railing during her fight with the witch. Her body seemed to have tripled in weight, and she sagged. Jeb was staring at her in awe; he started to bow, "Princess – "
"Don't," she snapped. He stood up. Cain and Glitch were staring at her too; Raw looked nervous. "We need to get the wounded inside," she said wobbling a little. "The alchemists probably have medicine we can use. We can put the witch's supporters in the cells." They hadn't moved yet. "Guys," she said wearily. That did it. Jeb left to issue orders to his men. Glitch strode forward and pulled her arm round his shoulder.
"Let's get you back inside too," he said. Raw and Cain walked on either side of them; the tin man holstered his forty-four but kept a ready hand on it.
They had barely re-entered the tower when resistance fighters started to approach them. To her acute embarrassment, most of them saluted or bowed to her, and they stood awaiting orders. As the wounded filtered in, Raw started healing them. He disappeared behind the growing number of patients. Those unhurt or not seriously injured came to DG, and she found herself directing the management of the tower and everyone inside.
She started to explain that she wasn't in charge to several of them, but they interrupted her with requests. Turning to Glitch or Cain when she wasn't sure, she issued orders. Her mind was buzzing. This was wrong. They shouldn't be treating her like a . . . like a princess. Oh no.
After awhile, she began to wonder why her family hadn't made an appearance yet. A stab of panic sliced through her as she remembered the alchemists she'd left for her father; she ordered a couple of fighters to find them since there were still too many people coming to see her. She glanced at Cain and Glitch who stood sentinel on either side of her. They'd put on diplomatic masks, so she couldn't tell what they were feeling. It made her feel strange. These weren't the men she'd traveled with, and even her own body felt alien to her.
Don't worry, DG and co. are still themselves, and Vy-Sor and Zero will make an appearance soon.
A warning in advance, I'm moving to a new country, so this story will be updated slowly due to uncertain internet connections. Hopefully, I'll get a few more chapters up before I leave.
Leave a review. I love 'em.